Amicalola Secure Parking/6 months/$2.00

[highway]

Amicalola Secure Parking/6 months/$2.00, A heck of a bargain!

It wasn't clear in my 2003 "Companion", page 3, under the heading "Amicalola Falls State Park".
It just states, "Long-distance hikers may leave vehicles only in the parking area opposite the visitor Center. a $2-per vehicle user fee is charged to all park visitors"

What it fails to say is that this $2.00 fee is all you pay for parking for up to six months. Plus it is a secure area, guarded 24 hours. Imagine that. If someone has some pull with the publisher, they might put in the suggestion to clarify it. At least it wasn't clear to me and at least to one other.

I spoke with a young lady at the visitor center by phone a couple of hours ago (706-265-4703) and she remarked that a gentleman thru-hiker just came through and was sick when he found about that service. She said he admitted to spending a fortune on secure parking elsewhere plus taxis back and forth.She said he admitted to $800 spent, which seems a lot.

Anyway, it makes it simpler for some to drive if they live close enough and they are confident their vehicle will be safe. Now, getting back to the vehicle will be a little tricky though, from wherever you terminate your hike.

[Ankle Bone]

Are you sure about this one?

I've only parked there once, and I thought it was $2 per day, and I didn't get the impression that you could park there for long periods of time, i.e. an entire thru-hike. It's not that large an area.

[highway]

Are you sure about this one?

I've only parked there once, and I thought it was $2 per day, and I didn't get the impression that you could park there for long periods of time, i.e. an entire thru-hike. It's not that large an area.

As unbelievable as it sounds, IT IS CORRECT

I just called again and spoke with the same young lady, Alexis, at above number, and she confirmed that the $2.00 is, indeed the only charge for up to six months parking.

I was flying to Atlanta, etc... I'll now drive to Amicalola and park and its almost 600 miles one way for me.

[Burn]

Yes it is correct, it is $2 for as long as you wish. Last November someone's car was still there from May. So they don't really care how long. I personally wouldn't say it is patroled or guarded, but the Ranger Home is directly across the street from the thruhiker parkinglot. The road does not shut down and there is no gate. I drove in one night at 1 am and hiked in a bit camped and then hiked to springer the mext day.


I have been there 3 times, so if my wife wasn't drivng me, I would park there if I had an older vehicle to leave.

[Ankle Bone]

Cool!

For all us GA Mountain types, I think we just found some new, inexpensive long-term parking!

Good luck on your walk!

[Weeknd]

Hey, thanks for the Info. This is such an excellent service. I hope they keep this up so I can use it for my GA+ hike in a year or so.

[Jaybird]

WOW!

$2.parking???????

for 6 months???????


...........i might have to hike the Amicalola Falls to Deep Gap Section again just to enjoy some long term savings.....hehehehehehehe





see ya'll UP the trail (no matter where you're parked)

[hacksaw]

[QUOTE=Burn]Yes it is correct, it is $2 for as long as you wish. Last November someone's car was still there from May. So they don't really care how long. I personally wouldn't say it is patroled or guarded, but the Ranger Home is directly across the street from the thruhiker parkinglot. The road does not shut down and there is no gate.


The parking lot is not patrolled, however the Ga. DNR (the entity responsible for staffing the park) enforcement officers are in and out of the area around the parking lot/visitors center at all hours of the night and day. This is actually safer (imo) than an established routine patrol schedule since it cannot be circumvented by watching the patrol make their rounds and going in behind them. There is a gate, however it is rarely closed except for severe weather that renders the park roads unsafe.

I have personally noticed vehicles left for well over a year in the lot with no problem. Granted, they were in pretty sad shape, but they were operable.

This system has been in place for several years but wasn't quite as easily utilized until the new hiker lot was built in the late '90's. This lot added some thirty additional spaces across the street from the visitors center. That is when the $2.00 parking fee was instituted. For section hikers and weekenders : You should be aware that the parking fee paid at Amicalola Falls STATE Park is a Georgia State fee. You cannot transfer the fee to any lot in the National Forests. Those fees are collected by the USFS Rangers and are U.S. Government fees(You can use the same tag for different lots in the Chatt. National Forest IF it is within the SAME 24 hour period). State parking fee are valid only for the lot where the tag was purchased .

In closing let me say that in all the years I've used the Amicalola Falls parking lots I have never had nor have I ever heard of a problem with vandals or car thieves IN the park.

To the shuttlers in the area: The State of Georgia, unlike the Feds, does not care one iota if you bring hikers into the park visitors center to drop them off. You need no permit to do this, moreover, if the entry kiosk is manned, if you tell the person that you are dropping off a hiker they won't even make you pay the $2.00 parking fee! (Warren, if you lie to them and park anyway, they'll tow you!) (Hmmmm...there's no icon for "tongue in cheek")

to Georgia!

[Youngblood]

I was at the FSR42 parking lot 0.9 mile north of Springer last week and noticed that the $2 per day parking fee has been eliminated, it is now free parking. Also, there are no trash bins there.

Youngblood

[jojo0425]

Jaybird

lol, any excuse to hike!

[highway]

The $2.00 LONG-TERM parking I referred to was in front of the Amicalola Visitor's Center-not the parking lot at FS 421

[Lone Wolf]

You mean FS 42

[smokymtnsteve]

ya don't want to leave a car overnight on FS 42 ..nevertheless 6 months.

[hacksaw]

ya don't want to leave a car overnight on FS 42 ..nevertheless 6 months.

I dunno, I've had good luck at the lot at the trail crossing at big stamp gap. The worst ones for me have been Three Forks on FS 58 (windows and tires) and over by Gooch Gap. (no reasl damage, just ransacked-like someone really thought they were gonna' find something stealable in a beat up old chevy truck). Woody Gap can be a bummer too.

Hacksaw